


Azog the Defiler

by WeirdyMcWeirderton



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2018-02-06 17:30:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1866309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeirdyMcWeirderton/pseuds/WeirdyMcWeirderton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Goblin Town. The company escape the goblins but now they are facing an even bigger enemy. And Kili is still hurt. Will they be able to get to safety? Will Fili be able to protect his brother? Will Kili be able to dodge danger yet again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story turned out a lot longer than I thought it would but I like where it went. Enjoy!  
> DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of The Hobbit.

Fili and Kili run down the wooded hill, trying to catch up with the company. As they approach them, they hear Gandalf counting them off, making sure they are all there.  
“Five, six, seven eight…Bifur, Bofur…that’s ten,” Gandalf says out loud. He turns and sees Fili and Kili approaching them. “Fili, Kili…that’s twelve…and Bombur…that makes thirteen. Where’s Bilbo? Where is our hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!”  
All of the dwarves begin looking around them and walking around the trees. Fili and Kili look towards the ground, turning to the left and right but don’t see Bilbo anywhere.  
“Curse the Halfling! Now he’s lost!” Dwalin grumbles as his search comes up empty-handed.  
“I thought he was with Dori,” Gloin says, pointing over at the white-haired dwarf. Dori’s eyes widen.  
“Don’t blame me!” he shouts defensively, glowering at Gloin.  
“Well, where did you last see him?” Gandalf asks, turning to look over at Dori.  
“I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us,” Nori speaks up, stepping towards Gandalf. Gandalf turns his attention to Nori, taking a step towards him.  
“What happened exactly? Tell me!” Gandalf asks hastily. He is worried that Bilbo is trapped somewhere in the Goblin tunnels. Thorin steps forward, the company moving to give him an open passage to Gandalf.  
“I’ll tell you what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it!” Thorin says angrily. He furrows his eyebrows and there is a slight growl in his voice. The rest of the company watch him, but don’t say anything. Fili and Kili glance over at each other before turning their attention back to Thorin. “He’s thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone.”  
The dwarves all begin looking at each other, thinking about what Thorin has said. He had a point; they all knew Bilbo was reluctant to come on this journey to begin with. Gandalf gives Thorin a look, but before he can say anything, a voice is heard from behind them.  
“No, he isn’t,” Bilbo says as he steps out from behind the tree he was hiding behind. All of the dwarves look over at him, eyes wide in shock and relief written on their faces.  
“Bilbo Baggins!” Gandalf shouts happily, laughing as he does so. “I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my life!”  
Bilbo walks over to the middle of the company and he pats Balin on the shoulder, giving his a small smile. A wide grin spreads across Kili’s face, his eyes wide with happiness.  
“Bilbo, we’d given you up!” he says, his grin growing bigger. Fili gives Bilbo a wide smile himself.  
“How on earth did you get past the goblins?!” he asks, watching Bilbo as he waits for an answer. Dwalin nods his head and takes a step forward.  
“How indeed,” he says curiously. They had all thought he was dead. There is a silence as all the dwarves watch Bilbo, waiting for his explanation. Eventually, Bilbo gives a nervous laugh before putting his hands on his hips. Gandalf watches curiously, noticing Bilbo slide something into his waistcoat pocket and his eyes narrow.  
“Well, what does it matter? He’s back!” Gandalf says, wondering what Bilbo found but knew it wasn’t the time or place to be bringing it up. Bilbo would tell him when he is ready. Thorin’s eyes narrow and he glances over at Gandalf.  
“It matters!” he says to him before turning his gaze on to their hobbit. “I want to know: why did you come back?”  
Bilbo watches Thorin for a moment, his gaze moving to the other dwarves of the company before resting it back on Thorin and answering the question.  
“Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you’re right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that’s where I belong. That’s home. And that’s why I came back, cause you don’t have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can,” Bilbo says, moving his eyes over the other dwarves near the end of his speech. There is a long silence as all of the dwarves think about this. Fili and Kili share a look and Gandalf smiles slightly at the change in Bilbo. Before anyone can say anything else there is loud howling heard from atop the mountain they are on. The dwarves all whip their heads around, looking to the top of the mountain, seeing several Wargs without riders bolt forward and run down the mountain towards them.  
“Out of the frying pan…” Thorin says, his eyes wide at their misfortune.  
“…And into the fire!” Gandalf finishes, fear setting in him. “Run! Run!”  
All of the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf quickly begin running down the mountain as fast as they can possibly go. The Wargs quickly run after them as the sun begins to set. Kili winces as the running jars his shoulder and ribs. He trips on a root and stumbles forward. Fili notices from behind him and grabs his brothers’ jacket, pulling him up straight and leading him down the mountain. Kili winces and a small groan escapes his lips causing Fili to wince at causing his little brother pain. They keep running, Fili only letting go of Kili’s jacket when he’s sure Kili is centered. The Warg at the very front catches up to the group and leaps at Bilbo and Bilbo ducks down behind a rock. The Warg’s jaws snap in the air just above his head, narrowly missing him. The Warg lands in front of Bilbo and, growling, charges at him.  
Bilbo pulls out his sword and holds it directly in front of him, pointing it at the Warg. As the Warg charges at him, it runs into Bilbo’s sword, impaling himself in the head with it, falling to the ground, dead. Bilbo stares at the dead Warg in surprise, not expecting this outcome. More Wargs catch up to the dwarves and the dwarves make quick work of killing them. The group reaches a large ledge of land that has a few trees growing on it. At the end of the ledge of land is a cliff, making them trapped.  
“Up into the trees, all of you!” Gandalf shouts to the dwarves. The dwarves lunge up to the limbs of the trees, pulling themselves up into them. “Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!”  
Bifur looks and sees a Warg approaching him and he throws his axe at it, killing the Warg. Bofur jumps off a rock and latches onto a tree branch, pushing his foot off Dwalin’s head like it’s a stepping stone. The other dwarves begin climbing up the trees to allow access to the bottom limbs for the other dwarves. Bilbo tries to pull his sword out of the dead Warg’s head he had just killed but it’s stuck. Bilbo continues to try to pull it free, but is unsuccessful. Fili jumps and grabs a limb, quickly pulling himself up into the tree and beginning to climb up it. Kili jumps up after him, grasping the tree limb. A sharp pain explodes in his shoulder and before he can stop himself he let’s go and falls to the ground, barely landing on his feet, sending a jolt to his ribs.  
“They’re coming!” Thorin shouts, looking back and seeing the Wargs and Orcs gaining ground on them. Gandalf climbs into the furthest tree, the one closest to the cliff edge and moves to the top of it. Dwalin boosts up Balin and then climb up after him. Thorin moves to jump into the tree nearby but his eyes catch something at the bottom of the tree to his right. “Kili! Climb!”  
Kili hears his uncle shout at him, but he’s focusing on the pain in his shoulder and ribs so misses what Thorin says. Fili hears his uncle’s yell and looks down, seeing his brother holding his arm and grimacing in pain.  
“Kili!” Fili shouts as he’s already moving back down the tree. Thorin looks on in horror as the Wargs get closer to his youngest nephew. He quickly rushes over to Kili.  
“Kili,” Thorin says, getting his nephews’ attention. Kili looks over at his uncle, forcing the pain down, not wanting his uncle to think he’s weak.  
“Kili,” Fili calls out and Thorin looks up to see Fili just above them.  
“Kili, step into my hands,” Thorin says, squatting down and cupping his hands.  
“I can do it,” Kili argues, moving to jump and grab the limb again. Thorin scowls.  
“We don’t have time for this. Step into my hands,” Thorin orders, fixing his stubborn nephew with a stare. Kili looks at him, sobering up and nodding his head. Kili steps into Thorin’s hands and Thorin lifts his nephew up. Fili reaches down and grabs Kili’s good arm and pulls him up as Thorin gives Kili’s foot a push. When Kili gets high enough, he steps onto the limb. Thorin rushes to a tree nearby and jumps up, grabbing the limb and pulling himself up into the tree, climbing up it. Fili helps his brother climb further up into the tree, away from the oncoming Wargs.  
Bilbo finally is able to pull his sword out of the Warg, but when he looks up he sees several more Wargs running towards him. He runs to a nearby tree and clambers up into it just in time to miss being a Warg’s snack. The Wargs begin to circle the trees, jumping up and snapping their teeth at the company in them.  
Gandalf reaches his staff out and picks up a moth sitting in the tree with it and brings it over to his face. Gandalf whispers to it before blowing it away gently. The moth flutters away and the Wargs cease their growling. They turn towards the White Warg, Azog astride it’s back, approaching the trees slowly. Thorin looks over at Azog, eyes wide in shock.  
“Azog?!” The White Warg growls and Azog strokes its head, talking ominously to his large group of Wargs and Orcs.  
“Nuzdigid? Nusdi gast? (Do you smell it? The scent of fear?) Ganzilig-I unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob.” (I remember your father reeked of it, Thorin son of Thrain)  
Thorin’s eyes widen slightly more, pain and grief evident in his eyes and face. He realizes that Azog had captured his father.  
“It cannot be,” Thorin whispers, not wanting to believe this new information. Azog leers at Thorin before speaking to his Wargs and Riders.  
“Kod, Toragid biriz. (That one is mine) Worori-da!” Azog says with a gleam in his eyes. (Kill the others!)  
The Wargs instantly lunge forward and jump up into the trees, trying to climb them to get to the company. They scratch at the tree trunks trying to latch on to them. Their teeth gnash at the limbs and they break apart the branches causing the trees to shake violently. The dwarves cling to the trees, struggling to stay up in them.  
“Sho gad adol!” Azog shouts with vehemence. (Drink their blood!) Fili feels his body being flung from the impact of the Wargs assault and he clutches the tree trunk next to him. His mind wanders to his brother and he looks down to see his brother hanging on as tight as he can. The tree jolts brutally and Fili sees Kili slam into the tree trunk. Kili lets out a groan and his hold is broken for a moment. It’s enough though and the tree jolts aggressively again causing Kili to lose his balance, almost falling to the perils of the Wargs below. Fili feels his heart leap into his throat, only breathing again when he sees Kili grasp a branch and hold himself steady enough to get his balance once again.  
The tree furthest from the edge of the cliff holding Bilbo and a few of the other dwarves begins to sway viciously from the weight of the Wargs trying to climb it. The tree is uprooted and begins to lean causing the inhabitants of the tree to shout in fear. More Wargs begin to grab onto it and the tree tips over and falls into the tree next in line. The dwarves and Bilbo jump from their fallen tree onto the tree it fell into, grasping at the branches to keep from falling. Unfortunately, the first tree falling causes a domino effect and the second tree tips over, falling into the third in line. The dwarves jump into the third tree, trying to keep away from the Wargs. When Fili and Kili’s tree begins tipping over, Fili looks down at his brother. Kili glances up at him and Fili can see the fear in his eyes even though Kili is trying his hardest to hide it.  
“Kili! Jump!” Fili shouts, waiting for Kili to follow the other dwarves and Bilbo before jumping after him to their uncle’s tree. Kili lands in Thorin’s tree and grabs onto a branch to keep from falling, losing his breath when the impact jars his ribs once again and pain shooting into his shoulder. His hands slip from the pain piercing his shoulder but his is stopped by a hand grabbing his coat and pulling him towards the trunk of the tree. Kili looks up and sees Thorin looking over at him, concern in his eyes. Fili had landed next to him when his had slipped and steadies him by grabbing ahold of his arm the same time Thorin pulls him forward.  
Thorin’s tree begins falling as well and all of the dwarves and Bilbo jump onto Gandalf’s tree. Thorin lands and hangs on to the trunk, looking back to see Kili jump over, landing next to him and Fili following after, landing just above Kili. Thorin grabs Kili as he lands and holds him tight, keeping him in the tree.  
Azog watches the dwarves scrambling into the last tree, holding on for fear of falling and laughs. Gandalf begins looking around them in desperation, knowing they have to do something or this quest was ending here and now. He notices a pinecone and grabs it, using his staff to set it on fire. He throws it down in the middle of the Wargs who flinch and retreat in fear of the fire blazing near them. Azog startles at the sudden onslaught and glares at the company. Gandalf quickly sets fire to two more pinecones.  
“Fili!” Gandalf shouts, looking down at the young dwarf below him. Fili looks up and Gandalf throws one of the pinecones down to him. Fili catches it, bounces it slightly from the heat and blows on it. Bilbo and the other dwarves begin gathering their own pinecones and Gandalf sets them aflame. They begin throwing the flaming pinecones at the Wargs, hitting them with them and creating a barrier between them and the company. The Wargs start retreating and one of the Wargs run away, its fur on fire. Azog roars at the company in anger and frustration while the dwarves cheer at gaining some sense of an upper hand.  
Abruptly, the company’s cheers turn into shouts of fear when the tree they are in begins uprooting and tipping perilously over the edge of the cliff. Gandalf looks down to see the long mile long drop to the ground below. The dwarves cling onto the tree trunk and branches as they are getting flung around. Fili clings to the tree branch and looks in front of him at his brother. Kili groans in pain as he tries to hang on to his branch, but the pain in his shoulder and ribs is steadily getting worse. Ori loses his grip and falls, shouting in fear, however, he manages to grab Dori’s leg and clings to it tightly.  
“Ah! Oh! Oh no!” Ori shouts, fear lacing every inch of his voice.  
“Mister Gandalf!” Dori shouts, feeling as though he’s going to lose his own grip at any moment, which he does. Dori falls but Gandalf swings his staff down towards them quickly and Dori grabs the end of it, clinging on for dear life. “Hold on, Ori!”  
“Kili, hang on,” Fili calls to his brother, all but begging, seeing Kili slipping a little. Kili hears his brothers’ call and pulls himself up, pushing the pain down. Thorin looks up at Azog in hate and anger from where he’s clinging to the tree. He pulls himself up onto the tree trunk into a standing position and draws his sword. Thorin begins walking down the leaning tree trunk towards Azog. The rest of the company looks on in fear as they watch their leader march into danger. Fili is pulled from his stare at his uncle by a groan of pain. He looks in front of him at his brother, desperately clinging to his tree branch.  
“Kili…” Fili says, fear in his eyes. Kili tries to pull himself up, but is halted by the pain in his shoulder.  
“Fili…” Kili says, not wanting to admit he is in trouble. Fili pulls himself further onto the branch he’s hanging on to, knowing what his brother refuses to admit.  
“Kili, hang on. Pull yourself up,” Fili coaches, hoping his brother can do something before he is able to get to him. Fili hears Ori shouting for help and as much as he hopes Ori is fine, he keeps his full attention on his brother. A shout from Balin, however, pulls his attention away for a second. Fili looks up and sees Thorin lying on the ground. Fili hears movement around him and he looks to see Dwalin trying to pull himself up only to have the branch he’s hanging on to break and swing him dangerously over the edge.  
“Thorin! No!” Dwalin shouts in anger at not being able to reach their king.  
“Fili!” Kili shouts, feeling his strength wane from putting so much stress on his injured shoulder and ribs. Fili whips his head around to his brother, hearing the desperation in Kili’s voice. Seeing his brother close to losing his grip, Fili musters all his strength and pulls himself up onto his branch and moves to the trunk. Crawling to Kili’s branch, Fili reaches down just in time to catch Kili’s hand as Kili loses his grip and falls.  
“I got you. Hang on,” Fili reassures his brother. Fili pulls his brother up and onto the branch, Kili sitting down and the two of them catching their breaths. Kili looks over to where he had seen his uncle run to and his eyes grow wide. Fili notices this and looks behind him and sees his uncle lying on the ground again, this time barely moving. A Warg approaches him but Bilbo suddenly appears between Thorin and the Warg brandishing his sword. Someone runs by Fili and Kili and they looks to see Dwalin has climbed up and is running towards where two Wargs are approaching Bilbo and Thorin.  
“Stay here,” Fili orders Kili before jumping to his feet and running after Dwalin. Kili looks on as his brother and Dwalin run to his uncle’s aid. Stifling a groan, Kili pushes himself to his feet and, drawing his own sword, runs after Fili and Dwalin. Fili and Dwalin plow into the Wargs from the side and begin fighting against them. Kili catches up and swings his sword, slicing a Warg’s neck, feeling the pain but shoving it back down in order to help his family. It doesn’t take long, though, for Dwalin, Fili, and Kili are surrounded by Wargs. Fili, Kili, and Dwalin have their backs to each other, facing different sides towards the Wargs. Fili notices Kili standing next to him and his body tenses. “I told you stay put.”  
“Uncle needed help,” Kili says, sending a glare towards his brother at the growl in Fili’s voice.  
“You’re injured. This was reckless,” Fili growls towards his brother, giving Kili a glare of his own. Any other retort from Kili is cut off when a yell breaks through the air. Fili and Kili look towards the tree, seeing Dori and Ori fall, disappearing from sight. Soon, though, they reappear on the back of a giant eagle. Kili and Fili look up into the sky to see several more Eagles appear and begin attacking the Orcs and Wargs, tossing them over the cliff. Other Eagles begin knocking down the trees and crushing the Wargs standing below them, while other Eagles fan the flames caused by the flaming pinecones with their wings causing the blaze to increase, burning the Wargs. Azog sees this and snarls in frustration. An Eagle appears and grabs Thorin and his sword gently with its talons and flies away with him, Thorin’s oaken branch shield falling from his arm. An Eagle flies by Azog and Azog roars at it and jumps back out of the way. The Eagle flies straight at Bilbo and picks him up off the ground before throwing Bilbo into the air. Bilbo screams as he falls towards the ground only to land on the back of yet another Eagle. Another Eagle grabs Fili and Kili, one in each talon, and flies through the air and drops them on the back of another Eagle. Fili lands first, followed by Kili. Kili groans and tilts to the side. Fili quickly grabs his brother, steadying him for fear of him falling of the Eagle.  
“Kili?” Fili asks, eyeing his brother and seeing the pain written clearly on his face. Kili forces the pain back down and glances at his brother.  
“‘M fine,” Kili says as firmly as he can. Fili frowns, knowing how stubborn his brother is and knowing that Kili is, in fact, in pain. He also knows that Kili won’t admit to being in pain in fear of looking weak. Choosing to drop the argument for the moment, Fili turns his attention to the Eagle carrying Thorin.  
“Thorin!” Fili shouts, seeing his uncle still unconscious. The Eagles soar towards an enormous rock structure that’s shaped like a bear. The Eagle carrying Thorin flies to the top of the rock and sets him and his sword gently down on a flat area of the rock. Another Eagle lands on the rock and Gandalf slides off it before running towards Thorin.  
“Thorin! Thorin,” Gandalf calls out, dropping to his knees and looking over the unconscious dwarf. Thorin doesn’t respond. The rest of the Eagles drop off the rest of the company and Bilbo runs over to where Gandalf and Thorin are. Gandalf places his hand on Thorin’s face and leans down to whisper a spell.  
Kili slides off his Eagle, wincing at the pain shooting through his shoulder and ribs. He closes his eyes to stop the vertigo and feels a hand on his good shoulder. Opening his eyes, Kili sees Fili standing in front of him, studying him, knowing his brother sees through his façade. Fili’s eyes turn sympathetic but before he can say anything Kili shrugs him off and slowly moves towards the rest of the company and their uncle. Fili sighs and follows after him, the two youngest dwarves moving to the front of the group.  
Thorin’s eyes flutter open and he gasps for air. Gandalf lets out a sigh of relief and a small smile appears on Bilbo’s face from behind Gandalf. Fili sighs in relief himself and looks over at Kili to see some of the tenseness leave his brother.  
“The Halfling?” Thorin asks weakly.  
“It’s all right. Bilbo is here. He’s quite safe,” Gandalf says, waving a hand behind him, beckoning Bilbo to come closer. Bilbo takes a couple steps, but doesn’t come any closer, wary of what Thorin is going to do. Thorin attempts to push his self up and Dwalin moves forward to help him. Kili moves forward, helping Dwalin as well, much to his brothers’ protests. As soon as Thorin gets to his feet, he shrugs Dwalin and Kili off and moves towards Bilbo.  
“You!” Thorin says gruffly, staring at Bilbo. Bilbo’s eyes widen and he waits for the inevitable lecture. “What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?”  
Thorin advances forward until he becomes face to face with Bilbo, whose look has changed to one of worry and fear. The rest of the dwarves share a few looks, not knowing where Thorin is going with this and not knowing what to do. Gandalf watches, waiting to see what Thorin is going to say more.  
“I’ve never been so wrong in all my life,” Thorin says as he grabs Bilbo and hugs him hard. Bilbo is taken aback by the gesture but eventually hugs Thorin in return. The rest of the dwarves begin to cheer and slap each other on the back. Gandalf smiles and watches the Dwarf king and Halfling. Thorin pulls away and looks at Bilbo, meeting his gaze. “I am sorry I doubted you.”  
“No, I would have doubted me too. I’m not a hero or a warrior…not even a burglar,” Bilbo says, shaking his head, understanding why Thorin acted the way he did. The rest of the company chuckles at this and the Eagles fly away, letting out screeches. Thorin looks over Bilbo’s shoulder and, seeing something, walks forward. Bilbo furrows his eyebrows and turns around, he and the rest of the company following Thorin’s gaze.  
“Is that what I think it is?” Bilbo asks as the company move to join Thorin at the edge of the rock. On the horizon, in the distance, there is an outline of a solitary mountain.  
“Erebor…The Lonely Mountain,” Gandalf says, gazing at the magnificent sight before them. “The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth.”  
“Our home,” Thorin says, emotion in his voice as he looks upon his long deserted home. A bird cheeps and flies by them.  
“A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain,” Oin says, noticing the bird, a smile settling on his lips. The dwarves hear more birdsong as they watch the bird fly towards the mountain.  
“That, my dear Oin, is a thrush,” Gandalf corrects the dwarf as he watches the bird fly by.  
“But we’ll take it as a sign…a good omen,” Thorin says, gazing at the mountain once again, a smile in his eyes.  
“You’re right. I do believe the worst is behind us,” Bilbo says, a small smile playing on his lips.  
Kili looks towards Erebor, the pain in his shoulder intensifying. Not because it is getting worse, but because the adrenaline is wearing off and he can feel it in full effect now. Kili closes his eyes and focuses on his breathing, shallow as it is from the pain in his ribs.  
“Fee?” a voice says quietly, only after it’s already spoken does Kili realize it’s his own voice. Fili hears his brother say his name quietly and he looks over at his brother, seeing his eyes closed and pain written all over his face.  
“Kee?” Fili says, turning to face his brother and studying his face. Kili forces his eyes open and sees his brother watching him closely. Thorin looks over and sees his nephews facing each other, Kili tense with pain and Fili tense with worry.  
“We need to get someplace to set up camp,” Thorin says, his eyes never leaving his nephews. Dwalin looks over and sees the youngest of the dwarves and nods his head. He gathers the rest of the company and begins sending them down the path in the rock leading to the foot of it. Gandalf nods to Bilbo and the two of them follow after the rest of the group. Thorin walks over to his nephews. “Is he all right?”  
“I’m fine,” Kili says, trying to force the pain back down in front of his uncle. Thorin suppresses an eye roll.  
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Thorin says, giving his youngest nephew a stern look before looking over to Fili.  
“I put his shoulder back in place back in the goblin caves. And I think he has a few bruised ribs. But he’s in a lot of pain,” Fili says, earning a glare from his younger brother. Thorin nods his head.  
“I’m fine uncle,” Kili says, looking to Thorin, trying to convey his strength to his uncle. Thorin sighs.  
“I have no doubt you are. But you should still rest. I can’t have you going out hurt,” Thorin says, giving Kili a firm look. Kili diverts his eyes and nods his head. Thorin nods his head once before turning to Fili. “Get your brother down to the foot of the rock. We’ll set up camp there.”  
Fili nods his head and grabs his brother to lead him down the path. Kili shrugs him off but by the time they descend a few yards down the path, Fili is hanging on to him again. Thorin glances back at the silhouette of Erebor once more before turning and following his nephews down the rock side.


	2. Chapter 2

Kili swats Fili’s hand out of the way. Fili glowers at him and Kili glowers in return. Thorin sighs, shaking his head at the stubbornness of his nephews.  
“It seems the youngest of your company is too stubborn for his own good,” Gandalf says to Thorin as he joins the dwarf kings’ side. Thorin grunts in agreement.   
“I guess it’s a good thing his brother is just as stubborn,” Thorin replies watching his nephews. ‘Just like their uncle,’ Gandalf thinks to himself, a knowing smile on his face. Fili tugs on Kili’s jacket saying something to him. Kili rolls his eyes and shrugs Fili off. Kili slowly turns away from his brother and grabs his bowl of food. Fili huffs but stands up and moves to the other side of his brother. Kili looks over at Fili and glares at him, saying something. Fili scowls and says something in return. Kili sighs and sets his bowl down, peeling off his jacket. Gandalf chuckles and turns to join the rest of the company once again. Thorin smirks and walks over to join his nephews. 

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Fili reaches over to grab Kili’s jacket and kili swats his hand away. Fili glowers at him only to have Kili glower back. Fili tugs on Kili’s jacket.  
“Take off your jacket so I can look at your shoulder,” Fili says, waiting for his brother to follow his directions. Kili rolls his eyes at him and shrugs his brothers’ comment off. He turns around and grabs his bowl of food and begins to eat his dinner. Fili huffs at his brothers’ stubbornness and moves to stand up, moving to the other side of his brother to face him. Fili takes a seat, glaring at Kili when his brother looks over at him. Kili glares back at him.   
“You’re not the only one who made mother a promise. Let me look at your injuries,” Fili says defiantly. Kili sighs, setting his bowl down at his feet. He grabs his jacket and peels it off with some help from his brother. Fili sets the jacket beside him and nods to Kili’s shirt. Kili scowls but peels his shirt off nonetheless.   
“It’s not that bad,” Kili argues as Fili feels around his shoulder, causing Kili to hiss in pain.  
“Not that bad, huh?” Thorin asks, approaching his nephews. Kili looks over at his uncle, opening his mouth to say something but a quirk of Thorin’s eyebrow causes Kili to shut his mouth again.  
Fili moves on to prodding Kili’s ribs causing him to flinch away and hiss again. Fili glances over at his brother and Kili forces the pain down and sits normal again. Fili goes back to prodding Kili’s injuries, not missing the way his brothers’ body is tense with pain.  
“He has a few bruised ribs, one cracked. And his shoulder is a little swollen from the added stress but other than that it’s fine,” Fili says to his uncle. Thorin nods his head in understanding.  
“You should get some rest. Let your injuries heal,” Thorin says to Kili as Fili hands his brother his shirt back.  
“Uncle, I’m fine. I don’t need to rest,” Kili argues, ignoring his shirt for the moment.   
“Rest,” Thorin says firmly. Kili sighs. Thorin looks over at Fili and nods for Fili to follow him. Fili pushes Kili’s shirt closer and Kili takes it this time, scowling at Fili getting up and following afterrr their uncle.

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Thorin leads Fili off to the side, far enough away that Kili can’t hear what they’re saying. Fili stops next to Thorin and watches him, waiting for him to say something. Thorin glances over at his youngest nephew, seeing him slowly, stiffly, getting his jacket back on. Thorin shifts his gaze to his eldest nephew.  
“Keep an eye on your brother. Anything that seems abnormal, let me know,” Thorin says, holding Fili’s attention.  
“Of course,” Fili replies, nodding his head.  
“Stay nearby,” Thorin adds, knowing he won’t have to explain the statement further. Once Fili nods his head, Thorin turns and joins the rest of the group. Fili turns around and walks back to where Kili is sprawled out on the ground, lounging against a tree.  
“I’m not weak, you don’t have to watch my every move,” Kili says, keeping his eyes on his hands where Fili sees him playing with the stone their mother gave Kili.  
“I know. You should get some rest,” Fili says, rolling out his bedroll and lying down on top of it, knowing Kili won’t go to sleep unless he does for fear of looking weak. Kili sighs and puts his stone back in his pocket before slowly sliding down onto his own bedroll.   
“Night Fili,” Kili says, closing his eyes.  
“Night Kili,” Fili says as he already hears Kili’s breath even out in sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Thorin glances over at where his nephews are lying asleep from his spot where he is leaning against a tree, arms crossed, keeping watch. Gandalf had left a short time ago on horseback to scout ahead. Thorin blinks and focuses on his nephews having heard the noise again; a mumbling. Thorin watches as Kili shifts in his sleep, his brows furrowing. Kili mumbles some more moving his head back and forth. Thorin furrows his eyebrows. After glancing around and seeing nothing posing as a threat, Thorin walks over to his youngest nephew.   
Thorin kneels down and shakes Kili’s shoulder, trying to wake him. The last time he knew of Kili having a nightmare was when he was a dwarfling; it was after Thorin broke the news their father was killed in battle. Kili grimaces and shifts, groaning in his sleep moving his head to face the other direction.   
“Kili,” Thorin calls moving a hand to Kili’s face and giving it a light pat. He is surprised by the heat radiating off his nephew. Thorin moves his hand to Kili’s forehead and feels the high fever along with seeing the sweat dripping off him. Thorin begins searching Kili’s body, throwing the blanket off him and pulling off his jacket. Only one thing could be the cause of the sudden fever; a cut that was ignored. Thorin looks over at Fili when he hears him stir.   
“Fili! Wake up!” Thorin says urgently, shaking his eldest nephew. Fili startles awake and looks over at his uncle, confused at the worry laden tone in Thorin’s voice.   
“Uncle?” Fili asks, sitting up and furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.   
“Kili has a fever. Did he get hurt anywhere else?” Thorin explains with urgency in his voice. Fili’s eyes widen and he sits up straighter. Fili shakes his head in answer, thinking back to anything that would tell him otherwise. Thorin purses his lips. “Help me look.”  
Fili nods his head and throws his blanket off, quickly helping his uncle search for another injury that might’ve been missing. Fili’s eyes fall on part of a cut on Kili’s back.  
“Uncle…” Fili says, his eyes never leaving the cut his has spotted. How could he have not seen this? He knew how. He wasn’t looking for anything other than the ribs and shoulder. He’s supposed to be looking out for his brother and he misses something this important? Thorin looks over and, rolling Kili over a little takes a look at the full cut.  
“I thought you said there was nothing wrong besides the shoulder and the rib,” Thorin says firmly, looking over at his eldest nephew and holding Fili’s gaze. Fili sees the disappointment in his uncle’s eyes. “How did you miss this?”  
“I…I wasn’t looking for anything else,” Fili admits ashamedly, diverting his eyes. By this time, the rest of the company has awakened due to the commotion.  
“Thorin, what’s wrong?” Balin asks as he and the rest of the group walk over to the heirs of Durin.  
“Kili has an infection,” Thorin explains, looking to Oin for help. Oin notices the cut, inflamed in infection, on Kili’s back.  
“We need Goldenseal,” Oin says to Thorin. “It’ll help fight the infection.”  
“Go, quick,” Thorin orders, turning his attention back to Kili. Oin, Dori, and Ori quickly disappear to find the plant in the woods nearby. “We need water.”  
Nori and Gloin run off, grabbing bowl to fill on their way to the stream they had found when scouting around the camp. Without being told, Bofur begins searching the bags for a clean cloth to use to wipe the wound.  
“Where’s Gandalf? We should get him,” Balin says, stepping forward, thinking the wizard could help. Thorin nods his head, having been thinking the same thing.  
“Fili, he went East…” Thorin begins, looking over at his eldest nephew. Fili shakes his head, his eyes wide.  
“No. I can’t leave him…” Fili starts, still shaking his ehad, angry his uncle would make him leave his brother.   
“You must. You are the fastest rider here. Go Fili. Now,” Thorin says, turning his attention back to Kili, effectively dismissing his nephew. Fili opens his mouth to argue but a hand on his shoulder stops him. Fili looks over and sees Dwalin giving his a comforting look before nodding to the pony being brought over for him. Fili forces a swallow and nods his head. He looks back over at Kili and leans over him, Thorin leaning back to allow Fili room.  
“Keep fighting Kee. I’ll be right back. I promise,” Fili whispers, resting a hand on his brothers’ chest. Wasting no more time, Fili gets up and swings up onto the pony and rides off as fast as he can towards Gandalf.   
Bofur hurries over and hands Thorin a clean cloth which Thorin accepts. Dwalin moves to the opposite side of Kili and, together, Thorin and Dwalin roll Kili fully on to his side for better access to his wound. Nori and Gloin walk towards them as fast as they can without spilling the water, setting the bowls down on the ground next to Thorin. Thorin wets the washcloth and begins to clean Kili’s cut. Kili grimaces, flinching away but Dwalin holds him steady.   
“Where’s the Goldenseal?” Thorin growls, getting impatient, glancing around but not seeing Dori, Ori, or Oin. Thorin shifts his attention back to Kili’s wound, continuing to clean it, grimacing at the pain he knows he’s causing his nephew.  
“Thorin! We found it!” Ori’s voice is heard shouting minutes later. The rest of the company looks up and sees Dori, Ori, and Oin running towards them. Dori grabs a bowl and masher out of Oin’s bag on the way over. He hands them to Oin and Oin puts the Goldenseal into the bowl mashing it up until it is a paste.   
“Hold him steady,” Oin says to Thorin and Dwalin once Thorin has finished cleaning the cut. Thorin and Dwalin hang onto Kili and Oin begins applying the Goldenseal paste. Kili arches away, grimacing and groaning from the pain.  
“Will he be all right?” Thorin asks Oin after he is down and has wrapped the wound with a bandage.  
“I’d feel better if Gandalf was here,” Oin says truthfully. Thorin’s eyes widen slightly and he glances down at his nephew, praying to Durin Fili and Gandalf get back in time.

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Fili spurs the pony forward, keeping his eyes on the lookout for Gandalf. He prays that Kili will be fine and that he won’t get Gandalf back too late. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if his brother died because of his own negligence. What would he tell their mother? Just the thought of what could happen to his brother makes Fili push the pony faster.

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

“What do we do now?” Bilibo asks, watching Thorin sit by Kili’s side.  
“We wait,” Oin replies glancing over at their king and prince. “We have to change the dressing every couple of hours. It will pull out the infection and we can’t have it sitting on the wound for too long.”  
Bilbo nods his head in understanding. He glances around at the other dwarves before looking back at Thorin and Kili. He looks over at Balin who catches his eye.  
“You don’t believe Thorin blames Fili do you?” Bilbo asks him. The rest of the dwarves look over at Balin, waiting for his answer. Balin thinks for a moment before answering.   
“No. I think Thorin is worried. Scared he’s going to lose another family member. He knows Fili would do anything to protect Kili. Fili’s been watching out for Kili since he was born. This wasn’t Fili’s fault. Thorin just isn’t well-versed in showing his worry and fear,” Balin says, glancing over at Thorin. He excuses himself and walks over to their leader. Thorin looks up when he hears someone approach him and sees Balin walking up to him, taking a seat across from him.   
“You know Fili didn’t mean for this to happen?” Balin says, looking down at their youngest dwarf in the company.   
“I know,” Thorin replies, looking down at his nephew as well.  
“You blamed Fili,” Balin says, calling Thorin out, looking over at their king. Thorin sighs and looks over at his friend.   
“He should’ve double-checked,” Thorin says in turn, with no real heat behind his words. Balin studies him for a moment.  
“This anger has nothing to do with Fili’s overlook of the cut does it?” Balin asks warily, watching Thorin’s body language.  
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Thorin replies gruffly, glancing back down at Kili.  
“Kili reminds you of Frerin. Fili, yourself. I know you blame yourself for Frerin’s death. You feel as though you didn’t do your job of taking care of him; protecting him,” Balin continues, keeping his eyes on Thorin, seeing his body tense. Thorin looks over at him, anger in his eyes.  
“You don’t know what you speak of,” Thorin says angrily, his jaw tense and a fire in his eyes.   
“Thorin, have you forgotten we’ve had this conversation before,” Balin reminds his friend. Thorin relaxes, knowing Balin is right and that he has nothing to hide from him.   
“I don’t want Fili hating himself like I do. I don’t want him to have his brothers’ death hanging over him like a black cloud,” Thorin says quietly, watching Kili breathing. Balin nods his head, understanding what Thorin is saying.  
“Be careful how you speak. You might achieve something far worse than you want,” Balin says wisely, keeping his eyes on Thorin. Thorin looks over at him, understanding what his friend is trying to tell him. Thorin nods his head and Balin stands up, walking towards the group of dwarves sitting across the camp.   
Dwalin watches his brother talking to Thorin, pretty certain what about. He remembered a young Kili always getting into trouble and a slightly older Fili always coming to his rescue. He knew without a doubt Fili is blaming himself over this whole scenario. He just hopes Kili pulls through because Fili wouldn’t be able to handle thinking he had killed his brother.

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Fili rushes through the woods as fast as his pony can take him, the whole while keeping an eye out for Gandalf. Movement to his left catches his eye and he glances over seeing a figure climb down from a horse. Fili yanks back on the reigns, pulling the pony to a sudden halt before making a sharp turn and rushing over to where Gandalf is standing.  
“Gandalf!” he shouts as he approaches the wizard. Gandalf looks over at him, curiosity on his face which soon turns to worry at the look of almost panic on the young dwarf’s face.  
“What’s wrong?” Gandalf asks, taking a few steps towards Fili and his horse.  
“It’s Kili. He’s sick with infection in a wound,” Fili says urgently, his voice strained. Gandalf’s eyes widen but he doesn’t ask any more questions, instead climbing back onto his horse and following after Fili’s quickly retreating pony.

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Thorin looks towards the woods, hearing hoof beats coming towards them. Suddenly, Gandalf and Fili are flying out of the woods on horseback. Gandalf and Fili quickly pull their horse and pony to a stop and jump off them, running over to Kili. Fili drops to his knees, checking over his brother, looking up when Gandalf comes over and kneels down next to the young dwarf. Gandalf hovers his hand over him and says a few words, as he did with Thorin the day before. Thorin watches, praying Gandalf can help his youngest nephew. The rest of the dwarves hang back but watch with earnest as well. Gandalf pulls his hand away and waits a moment. Fili and Thorin watch as the pain lines on Kili’s face swiftly begin to relax and the tension in Kili’s body disappears.  
“Will he be all right?” Fili asks eagerly, worry still evident in his voice.  
“Yes. He will need some time and Oin will have to keep on the wound, but yes he will be fine,” Gandalf replies, relief showing on his face as he looks over at Fili, seeing relief come over his features as well. Gandalf glances over at Thorin seeing him let out a sigh of relief and sink down on the log he was sitting on before they arrived. “He will need rest.”  
Gandalf stands up and turns to look at the other dwarves, giving them a reassuring smile, glad he was able to arrive in time. Oin walks over to the heirs of Durin with replacement bandages and paste in his hands. Gandalf nods his head at him before walking over to the group of dwarves and Bilbo. 

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Thorin walks over to where his nephews are, Fili sitting on a log watching over his brother. Kili had progressively gotten better throughout the day, Oin’s ointment doing its job to extract the infection from the cut. Fili looks up as Thorin sits down beside him before looking back down at his brother. Thorin watches Kili for a moment before speaking up.   
“I don’t blame you,” Thorin says quickly before his pride gets the best of him. Fili swiftly looks over at his uncle, surprised at this comment; surprised because he definitely blames himself so why wouldn’t his uncle blame him as well.   
“But it was my fault. I should’ve checked for other injuries,” Fili says, self-loathing in his voice. Thorin shakes his head and sighs, hearing the same tone of voice he uses on himself when he thinks of his own younger brother.   
“No, it wasn’t. You didn’t know. How could you? And Kili didn’t say anything…” Thorin begins, looking over at his nephew.  
“It wasn’t Kili’s fault,” Fili cuts him off, a little anger etched into his tone. Thorin smirks slightly.  
“No. It wasn’t. It was no one’s fault. Take it as a learning experience. Next time…we check every inch of the lad’s body,” Thorin says, his smirk growing a little. Fili watches him for a moment before a smirk of his own appears on his face.  
“Kili will love that,” Fili says sarcastically, laughing inside as he pictures his brothers’ face and hears his protests. Thorin chuckles clapping a hand on his nephews shoulder before leaning back against a tree, helping Fili keep watch of their youngest. 

KILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILI

Fili’s eyes dart to his brother, hearing him rustle under the blanket. He sits forward, watching as his brother begins to wake up.  
“Thorin!” Fili shouts to his uncle, looking over to the group of dwarves where he sees his uncle. Thorin had stayed with Kili and Fili the whole rest of the day and all night, leaving only twenty minutes ago to go grab a bite to eat for breakfast. Thorin looks over and sees Fili kneeling next to Kili and he quickly makes his way over to them. Kili blinks his eyes open and looks over at them, seeing his brother and uncle staring down at him in earnest.   
“How are you feeling?” Thorin asks, checking his nephew over nonchalantly.   
“Sore,” Kili says, groaning as he tries to push himself up. Fili promptly reaches over and helps his brother into a sitting position. Kili feels something on his back and he reaches behind him, feeling a bandage there and it sore to the touch. “What happened?”  
“You had a cut on your back. It got infected,” Fili says, eyeing his brother and putting some blame into his tone. Kili looks over at him, hearing the tone, his eyes wide. Kili glances over at his uncle, seeing the same in his eyes.   
“I didn’t know. I promise,” Kili says looking between his brother and uncle, shaking his head in denial. Thorin sighs and nods his head, believing him.   
“You’re better now, that’s all that matters,” Thorin says, standing up. “I’ll get you two some breakfast.”  
Kili watches as Thorin walks away over to the campfire and the other dwarves. Fili shifts in his spot and Kili looks over at him.  
“I didn’t know Fili,” Kili reiterates, wanting his brother to believe him. Fili nods his head.  
“I know,” he says, looking at a spot on the ground. He looks up at Kili before speaking. “You need to be more careful. You can’t keep your promise if you don’t take care of yourself.”  
“I know,” Kili replies taking his turn to look down at a spot on the ground.   
“I know you know. That’s not the problem,” Fili counters, fixing his brother with a look. Kili looks up at him and looks ashamed.   
“I’ll try to do better,” he says, sighing in defeat. Fili doesn’t like the answer but knows it’s the best he’ll get at the moment so he drops the topic.   
“Come on, let’s go get some breakfast,” Fili says, reaching out and grabbing Kili under his good arm and helping him up to his feet.   
“Good, because I’m starving,” Kili says with a grin, walking with his chuckling brother over to the rest of the dwarves, the campfire, and ultimately their breakfast.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review! Let me know what you think!


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